The majority of the action in Artena Arises occurs within an eight block radius of Lincoln's city center. It simply charms that the main library, the streetcar line, the best grocer, and Wadlow's Mortuary were around a six-minute walk from all of Artena's apartments. She probably preached on all the corners.
That's just how it was a hundred years ago, out of both necessity and function. It's also why Lincoln's Bethany and University Place neighborhoods were exotic destinations that required either luxury travel "by auto" or multiple streetcar changes.
But let's get back to city central. Let's talk undertakers. Specifically, Wadlow's. During a July 1923 Nebraskan heatwave, sunstroke proved fatal. We know from Artena's diary that she attended a funeral, and from the official newspaper notice that it was at Wadlow's Mortuary. Or, as Artena refers to it, "the undertaker parlor":
"One of our Saints called and said her father died of sunstroke and there would be funeral services Tuesday. The Elders came over and at 5:30 we called upon the family, who was in deep sorrow. It was so hot when we got downstairs, we were almost baked. The car from the undertakers came to the house and we drove over to see the body of Mr. Wolfe."—Artena Arising: Diary of a Lady Missionary in Nebraska
Wadlow's Mortuary had opened in 1921 at Lincoln's 323 South 12th Street and was Cecil E. Wadlow's new baby. He was an up-and-coming Lincolnite, active in scads of social clubs. He was also the uncle of famed Robert Wadlow, the tallest man who has ever lived (8 feet 11.1 inches; still a world record). Here is Cecil, with his astonishingly tall nephew and his brother Harold in 1930:
Just think: here is a picture of Cecil Wadlow. This is the face of the man who would have greeted the mourning party, then tactfully retreated while Artena, the other missionaries, and the grieving family viewed the corpse of poor Mr. Wolfe. Doesn't he project an attitude of calm?
It's all about the undertaker. Wadlow was not just an embalming visionary, he did a brisk business and advertised heavily. In other words, too many Newspapers.com hits to count. By 1930 his mortuary had relocated to a brand-new, state-of-the-art yet reassuringly Romanesque headquarters at Lincoln's 1225 L Street. The unique architectural design featured an indoor driveway for hearses—literally in the building —so services would not be affected by traffic or weather. Heatwaves be damned: the show must go on (and there are the pictures to prove it in the 23 Mar 1930 Lincoln State Journal).
Back to the famous nephew. When Robert Wadlow died prematurely at age 22, his 11-foot coffin weighed over 1,000 pounds and required 20 men to lift it. Did Uncle Cecil handle the funeral arrangements? You bet. The Port Huron Times Herald (16 Jul 1940) reported that, while services were held at Streeper Mortuary in Robert's hometown of Alton, Illinois, one Mr. Cecil E. Wadlow of Lincoln, Nebraska, saw to all the arrangements.
Postmortem...
The original Wadlow's at 323 South 12th Street was situated adjacent to Lincoln's Star Tower assemblage, which includes multiple office buildings and a stable built between 1888 and 1923. Here is a photo of the Star South piece at 317 South 12th, built in 1923. Though the original glass has been replaced and the brick probably repointed, this arched and banded façade is what Artena saw as she exited Wadlow's funeral car.
After Wadlow's Mortuary expanded and vacated 323 South 12th, the building was occupied by Betzer's Printers, followed by Burroughs Adding Machine Company. Eventually, it was razed, and the dirt merged with neighboring parcels. A large office property built in 1995 now straddles Wadlow's original location.
The ultra-modern, brick build-to-suit that Cecil Wadlow built at 1225 L Street in 1930 has also vanished.
Cecil E. Wadlow passed in 1967 (funeral handled by Wadlow's Mortuary). The newspaper noted that he lived at 1221 L Street, adjacent his still-thriving business. Let the record show that, after he and his first wife Marguerite divorced, Cecil later married one "Irene F.," a woman 28 years his junior. These facts were not widely publicized, but are easily deduced from Cecil and Marguerite's headstones. For the Wadlow-curious, ex-wife Marguerite's Find A Grave memorial spills the dirt.
Wadlow's Mortuary still, kind of exists. After merging with a partner in 1988, a re-branded Wadlow Rozanek Funeral Home moved to 5200 R Street. There the business remains, though it no longer employs a Wadlow, and is now known by the gentler-sounding—but less meaningful to us—"Lincoln Family Funeral Care".
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